Men drive a steel at a miner's competition in Creede, Colorado, 1913; they are identified as: "1. Roy Morgan," "2. Graves Plunket," "3. Pete Vedell," "4. Phil Bauer," and "5. Goodrow." Elk's Hall is a brick building; rocky crags are in the background. Denver Public Library Special Collections.
Rock drilling contest combined 'everyday skill' with world class talent in Colordo
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
Rock-drilling matches began as natural progression of what miners did every day. The contests began at individual mines, then mining camps picked their favorites to appear against the best drillers of rival camps. Counties picked champions, who then appeared from a process of elimination, usually held during the latter part of the summer. The Fourth of July contest were for local interest only. The winners of county competitions would then meet at the annual Carnival of Mountain and Plain, held in Denver each October.
"It was these state contests that really put rock-drilling on a clean, businesslike basis," says driller contest expert Victor I. Noxon.
"Out of the mining camps of the American West, in a rather natural progression, came a contest of skill and endurance that lasted until the mining frontier itself had gone. Hard rock drilling contest provided spectators at fairs and exposition an exciting opportunity to wager, watch and cheer their champions. Some of the 'drillers' and their skills are described here by a man who saw 'the best' of them," as told by Victor I. Noxen to Forest Crossen, in Colorado Magazine, Volume XI (May, 1934), Colorado State Historical Society.
Miners in Central City, Colorado, are: "A. Frank Eccker" (swinging sledgehammer) and "E. J. Eccker" (turning drill). Men and boys watch the demonstration of mining techniques; brick buildings and timber retaining walls are in the background. 1946, Marty Anderson, photographer.
"I have taken a deep interest in hand rock-drilling contests for over fifty years. I have seen most of the best drillers — both single and double hand — that Colorado produced. My most intimate acquaintance was with the men of Clear Creek, Gilpin and Boulder counties who won honors in the early days at this highly colored and truly representative test of mining skill. All this, of course, before the days of pneumatic drills," said Noxen, which appeared in reprinted version in historian Carl Ubbelohde's 1964 "Colorado Reader."
Noxen identified some of the best drillers he was familiar with in the early part of the last century.
"William Libby and Charles Rowe of Idaho Springs were supreme among the local drillers for a number of years. They held state honors, too. They wer Cornish miners and they had a tremendous following among their countrymen. This was during the '80s," says Noxen.
"Rowe and Libby were small men, weighing about 135 pounds. They wer particularly skillful, more than making up for their lack of weight in the hammer blows. They came down with the double Jack directly on the head of the drill, thus making a good clean cutting stroke . The manner in which the drill is turned and held makes a great deal of difference. These two forced the other miners, larger man than they were, to follow their practices before they went down to defeat before superior muscles and weight.
"The Corninsh in general were much smaller than the Nova Scotians, who were numerous in Boulder, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties in those days, or the Swedes and Irish of a later period. Mullis of Central City was a big Cousinjack (Cornish) and a hard man to defeat in a drilling contest."
Clear County developed Edward Chamberlain, who won the championship for the Western States tow or three times. Henrey Tarr, who won state honors, was also from this county. Sullivan Tarr, his younger brother, developed into a mighty hammerman and won the world shampionship, says Noxen.
Boulder County had "Bud"Shaw, Jim Pittman, and Thurman Collins. Pittman and Collins made a very powerful team. They acquitted themselves very well in contests. Shaw carried off honors in many local and county contests.
"So far I have been talking about double-hand drilling. There were also single-hand contest. Al Yockey of Central City was unbeaten for several years during the '90s. His supremacy was superseded by Charles Wahstrom of Boulder. Fred Dopp of Jimtown, is the present (1934) unbeaten champion."
Fred C. Dopp, atop a wood platform, swings a sledge hammer in a hard rock drilling contest in Silverton (San Juan County), Colorado. A second man kneels and holds a spike on the block of rock that protrudes through the platform. Men, women, and children crowd the background and watch from second floor windows. Walker Art Studio.
Although single-hand drilling contest were mighty feats of skill and endurance, they never attracted the attention that the double-hand commanded.
Rules and practices were laid down "in stone" so to speak, and rigorously followed. Drillers would go into train two weeks or longer before a contest, coming out of the mines in order to get their wind in shape to stand the 15-minute contests. It was not until about 1900 that 10 minutes became the accepted time for contests. A six-to-eight pound hammer was used in the double-hand drilling, and a four-pound hammer was used in the single-hand contests. The single-hand drillers used three-quarter inch drills; the double-hand men seven-eighths inch steel.
"A timer with a stop-watch called the minutes, thus giving the drillers an opportunity to change off from their positions as hammer men or drill turners. During the last four minutes the timer called time at each half minute. Two judges watched each team of contestants and measured the hole to a fractions of an inch," Noxen said.
"The blows that a hammerman struck to minute was usually known by his trainers. The usual speed was 67 or 68. Some driller could average 75 or 76. This, of course, was very fast. Regularity in speed minute after minute was sought after by every man who went into training."
"The sharpening of drills became a fine art. The men who could put an edge on tools what would hold up through the terrific pounding of a fifteen-minute contest were few. They became specialist, fitting up steel for drillers all over this western mining country. Sometimes the sharpener worked directly with the champions, learning to temper to fit the demands that the individuals put on it. This process frequently took months. John Lind of Idaho Springs was one of the best tool sharpeners of the early days. He sharpened drill still for many champions."
Extreme care was even taken in selection of stone for the contests. Silver Plume granite was widely used in Clear Creek and Gilpin counties. It was shipped to other parts of the state for most of the important drilling contests. It was very hard, uniform stone. Drillers from three northern counties could usually drill from two to three inches deeper in the stone used in the Leadville contest in the allotted fifteen minutes than they could in the Silver Plume granite.
Mine worker's competition at Fifth and Harrison Streets, Leadville, Colorado; shows miners on a platform with sledge hammers and tools. The man who holds the sledge hammer is possibly Fred C. Dopp. Men, women, and children crowd the area; the American National Bank is in the background, draped with bunting and United States flags.
Mining contest in Eldora, Colorado; shows miners driving a
spike into a rock slab. Well-dressed spectators include men, women, and
children; United States flags and bunting are by a house with sign: "Log
Cabin." Colonel Donald Kemp, photograher.
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